What Echoes In the Sewers
by Raefire6
Summary: There is a strange voice echoing through the sewer tunnels. It's strangely... amazing. Can the guys discover the source? Is there more to it then they know? One-shot


**"**_**This time… I wonder what it feels like…"**_

The voice traveled across the dark lair and gently settled on Donatello's ears. He stirred slightly, his semi-conscious mind barely registering the sound. His face slowly scrunched into a frown, annoyed at the sound that pulled him from dreamland. He groggily pulled his sheets over his head, trying to block out the noise.

_**"To find the one in this life…"**_

Letting out a small groan, he turned over on his side and slowly cracked his eyes open. His lab was dark as it always is without the lanterns he usually lit when he worked, but regardless he could still see that nothing was out of the ordinary in the space. He let his eyes fall shut again. Maybe it would just go away…

_**"The one we all dream of,**_

_** But dreams just aren't enough…"**_

Donnie stifled a yawn as he turned again onto his back and opened his eyes to stare at the ceiling. It registered slightly in his half-awake mind that the sound that was keeping him from sleeping actually sounded… beautiful. Calming, even. As he slowly awoke, he started to wonder where it was coming from. It sounded like a voice, a male voice… singing. Really, _really_ well, he added mentally. He closed his eyes once again and let the sweet sound wash over him. _Wow…_ he thought.

_**"So I'll be holding my own breath,**_

_** Right up to the end,**_

_** Until that moment when,**_

_**I'll find the one that I'll spend forever with…"**_

Don had to admit he was impressed. Whoever this mysterious singer was, his music was strong and well organized; the melody and lyrics flowing through it effortlessly. _And his voice…_ Donnie had never heard anything like it. It was… _powerful_ somehow; as if the very energy of the universe flowed through the singer and out his mouth. He wondered how much practice it took to get it that way or maybe the singer was just naturally talented. Donnie could never find out, of course. Whoever the singer was, there was no way Don could just walk up and ask him. It suddenly occurred to him that if he could hear the song from his room, than the singer had to be somewhere in the sewers, probably practicing a new song away from prying eyes, and that he could be a threat to Don and his family if he stumbled upon the Lair. Donnie sighed. He probably should go warn Leo. But before he could get up, the sound of what he assumed was the chorus reached his ears. A small smile appeared on his lips before he could stop himself. _It really was a good song…_

"_**Cause nobody wants to be the last one there,**_

_**And everyone wants to feel like someone cares,**_

_**Someone to love with my life in their hands**_

_**There's gotta be somebody for me like that…"**_

Donnie couldn't stop a gasp from escaping his mouth. It was almost as if the singer was talking specifically to him… calming him… reassuring him. Though Don would never admit it, the last couple days have been hard on him, as with the rest of his family. Foot activity has been on the rise and battles with the enemy ninja clan occurred almost nightly, with injuries practically a certainty. Donnie had done the best he could; bandaging wounds, stitching cuts and prescribing treatments; but seeing his brothers weak and in pain nearly every night was starting to take its toll on him. Of course, there were nights when Donatello himself had been injured. Never too badly, his brothers had made sure of that, but on those nights Don would have to instruct the others on how to fix each other while he could only lay there and try not to let his emotions show. He had lost plenty of sleep over worry for his brothers' wounds and the stress was becoming nearly unbearable.

Not that he'd ever let his family know, though. Donnie knew they each had stresses of their own and didn't need to be worrying about him. His eldest brother, Leonardo, was obviously under the most pressure. Don could see the incredible guilt that has seemed to have permanently been glued to Leo's face every night he has had to lead his bruised and bleeding brothers home. Donnie knew seeing them in pain hurt Leo as much as the Foot's swords had, if not more. Michelangelo was taking it better, Donnie supposed, but everyone could still see through his laughing jokes and constant pranks that the blood and death was getting to the youngest brother as well and Don knew it was only a matter of time before he would crack.

Raphael was a different matter altogether. Donnie's older brother usually didn't seem at all disturbed by the violence, he almost seemed to crave it, but even for that hothead these last couple of days had been too much. Raph talked less, brooded more often, and had an uncanny knack for avoiding everyone. This worried Don more than anything because for as long as he could remember his brother was a hot-tempered, short-fused maniac with no real separation between what was a good idea and what was just plain nuts. Usually if Raph had an issue, which he seemed to have almost 24/7, he would just beat his punching bag until it broke or go out with his best friend Casey and knock some heads that way, and then he was fine. But brooding? Not talking to anyone and closing himself off from the rest of the world? That just wasn't Raph.

Donnie frowned. In all honestly, he couldn't remember the last time he and his brothers had been happy… _Heck, _he couldn't remember the last time any one of them had _smiled_. At least for real, not one of those '_Don't worry guys, I'm fine even though I'm really not'_ kinds of smiles. Don surprised himself by chuckling at the thought. He'd given plenty of those smiles these past few weeks himself, and he doubted that his brothers had believed him anymore than he believed them when they smiled that way. The chuckle died in his throat as he thought of that. He sighed instead. What they needed was a vacation. Somewhere far away where they could get through this as a family and reset themselves for everything else…

He groaned. Fat chance that would happen. The city was still in danger, every night it seemed to be, and if they left who would be there to stop the Foot? No, there would be no vacations, no getting away from it all. But how much longer could they go on like this? How much longer could they stay in their silent suffering until one or more of them breaks down? Should they just sit and wait for that to happen? Leo had done his best to rally the spirits of his team, but that was near impossible when he himself didn't believe one word that came from his own mouth. Don felt sorry for him, but he knew there was nothing he could do that wouldn't just make things worse. He closed his eyes again with yet another sigh, feeling twice as tired as he did when he woke up.

"_**And nobody wants to do it on their own,**_

_**And everyone wants to know they're not alone,**_

_**There's somebody else that feels the same somewhere!**_

_**There's gotta be somebody for me out there…"**_

Whoa… How did the guy do that? The music instantly calmed Donnie's rising nerves and he felt a state of relaxation pass over his body; something he had not felt for what seemed like years. The smile returned to his face. Maybe he didn't have to tell Leo… After all, the leader had enough on his plate as it is. Maybe he could handle this disturbance on his own, without waking the others… The more Don thought about it, the better the idea sounded. He quickly climbed out of bed, surprising himself with how much energy he had. He wouldn't admit it, even to himself, but the song was starting to have an effect on him. He felt… _alive_ all of the sudden. Protected… safe. Like hearing those words was the only thing that could save him; bring him out of the darkness that had been haunting him for weeks. Donnie exited his room and made his way towards the door to the Lair, excitement filling his heart as he walked closer to the sound.

If he had actually stopped to consider it, Don would have known it was stupid and foolish to go look for this music, no matter how it made him feel. And as it was, the small nagging voice in the back of his mind warned him he was making a mistake, telling him to go get Leo and let the older turtle handle it. But Donatello couldn't do that. This voice… that _song_… was drawing him foreword, filling his heart with a hope that he had not known even existed anymore. He wanted to hear more. No, he _needed_ to hear more. That's something Leo wouldn't have been able to understand, something none his family would understand. So he went forward, towards the mysterious singer and his enchanting song.

Donnie hadn't traveled far when he suddenly felt a presence near him. Without thinking, he grabbed his Bo staff from where it had been strapped to his back and swung it towards his attacker. He felt a jar run up the staff into his arms as his weapon made contact with something hard. He grinned in spite of himself, proud for a few moments he was able to defend himself all on his own without any help from his brothers. But his smile vanished when he heard a familiar cry come from his opponent.

"Ow!" Mikey cried, knocking Don's staff away from him. "What'd you do that for, Donnie? Geez, I'm on your side!"

Don blinked in the darkness and made out the form of his little brother, orange bandana and all. The peace he had felt from the music vanished as anger took its place.

"Mikey?" He gasped. "What the shell are you doing here? I could have killed you! Why aren't you back at the Lair?"

"We could ask you the same thing, Don." A new voice said and Donnie couldn't help but cringe as a second figure appeared in front of him.

_Oh shell…_

"Nice night for a stroll, isn't it, Donatello?" Leonardo asked his younger brother, his eyes contradicting the calmness of his voice.

Normally, Donnie would have looked away in shame at his leader's words, knowing fully well that any punishment Leo was about to bestow upon him he deserved and that he should just accept it and deal with it. But not this time. This time Don had a perfectly good comeback to Leo's death stare and was sure as shell going to use it. Besides, Leo would make him go back to the Lair, moving away from the music… The very thought left Donnie heartbroken.

"It would be," He replied calmly. "Except for the part when company showed up. What are _you_ doing out here, Leo?"

Leo's eyes flashed with surprise and guilt before he could cover it up. He opened his mouth as if he was going to deny it, but, unfortunately for him, Mikey spoke for him.

"We're following the music!" Mike said excitedly. "I woke up hearing it and wanted to see what it was. When I came out into the living room, Leo was already opening up the front door to follow it. He said I could tag along if I didn't tell anyone." He suddenly smiled sheepishly at Leo as if he just realized he had broken that promise. Leo glared daggers back at the younger turtle, but Mikey quickly ignored him. "So what are you doing here, Don?" he asked cheerfully.

Donnie smiled a little before sighing. "Well, I guess you could say I'm following the music too. I heard it from my room and it just sounded so…" He paused, trying to think of a better word but ended up just settling for, "magical."

He expected his brothers to start laughing at him, or tell him that was ridiculous. But to his surprise both of them nodded in understanding.

"I know," Leo said in a small voice. "It made me feel calmer, like…" he trailed off for a moment then just shook his head in disbelief. "Like everything was going to be alright."

"I know, right!" Mikey replied excitedly. "This guy has a pretty awesome voice. I think we should go and tell him so."

"No!" Donnie and Leo both said at once. They looked at each other in surprise, but Don was the first to recover.

"We can't do that, Mikey." He said calmly.

"Right," Leo agreed. "No matter how good a singer he is, we can't let him see us or know we live down here."

The excitement faded in his eyes as the realization came over Mikey. "Oh," he said in a small voice. "Right, forgot about that. I guess we just go home then."

He turned and started walking away, his head hung in sadness. Donnie and Leo exchanged a look.

"We can't let him see us," Don began. "But I'd be lying if I said I wouldn't hate not hearing more."

Leo slowly nodded. "Honestly Don, I'd hate that myself…"

"_**Tonight… Out on the streets, out in the moonlight…"**_

"Hey, Mikey!" Don called to his brother. "Where are you going? I thought you wanted to hear the rest of the song."

The younger turtle snapped around, a huge grin on his face. "Really?" He asked.

Leo smiled. "Sure, Mikey. We'll go closer to listen. Just until the end of the song though, and we can't let the singer see us. Okay?"

"Yes!" Mikey shouted and ran over to his older brothers, knocking them both to the ground in a giant, suffocating hug. "You guys are the best ever!"

"_**And darn it, this feels too right…**_

_**It's just like déjà vu, **_

_**Me standing here with you…"**_

As Donnie followed his brothers farther into the tunnel, a thought occurred to him. "Hey guys?"

They turned to face him. "Yeah, Don?" Leo asked.

"Should we go get Raph? I mean, do you think he'll want to listen too?"

Mikey and Leo exchanged a look.

"I don't think music is really Raph's style." Leo said slowly.

"Yeah," Mikey agreed. "And besides that, if we go back now we'll miss the rest of the song!"

Donnie slowly nodded. "Oh, I guess you guys are right." He didn't like leaving his older brother out of something as incredible as this singer, but the others were right. Raph wasn't really the _feely_ type. Plus, Donnie _really, really _didn't want to miss the rest of the song. "We'll tell him about it when we get back then."

"Sounds like a plan." Leo said.

"_**So I'll be holding my own breath,**_

_**Right up to the end,**_

_** Until that moment when,**_

_**I'll find the one that I'll spend forever with…"**_

The singer's voice grew louder as Donnie and his brothers drew closer, and he could almost feel the vibrations of an electric guitar bouncing off the walls. Don shook his head in disbelief. _How good was this guy?_

"_**Cause nobody wants to be the last one there,**_

_**And everyone wants to feel like someone cares,**_

_**Someone to love with my life in their hands**_

_**There's gotta be somebody for me like that…"**_

The music was near deafening now, but Don and his brothers didn't care. They came across a cavern that they were certain the singer was playing in. Donnie spotted the shadows dancing across the wall opposite the opening. _This was the place…_

"_**And nobody wants to do it on their own,**_

_**And everyone wants to know they're not alone,**_

_**There's somebody else that feels the same somewhere!**_

_**There's gotta be somebody for me out there…"**_

"Guys, he's _right_ there!" Mikey whispered in excitement. "Can we at least get a good look at him? I want to know him when he becomes famous."

Leo exchanged a glance with Don, and the latter smiled.

"I don't see why not." Leo replied, his own excitement filling his eyes. "Just be careful…"

_**"You can't give up…**_

_** When you're looking for,**_

_** A diamond in the rough…**_

_** Because you never know,"**_

__As they turned the corner to catch a glimpse of the mysterious singer, Donnie wondered if his brothers could hear his heart pounding in his chest. Who knew one little song could make him so happy?

_** "When it… shows up…"**_

__Music overwhelmed Donnie's senses and he had to stop himself from shouting for joy. He glanced over at his brothers and saw the smiles on their faces; _real_ smiles, ones that meant they were happy and enjoying themselves; and his heart soared higher. This was just what they had needed. This song, this _miracle_, had come at exactly the right time. Don just wished he could tell the singer how grateful he was for what he had done. He was lost in happiness for that one small moment, so it shouldn't have been surprising that it took him some time to notice the even bigger miracle that was going on inside the cavern…

_**"Make sure you're holding on,**_

_**Cause it could be the one,**_

_**The one you're waiting on…"**_

"Dudes," Don heard Mikey breathe, and at the same time his eye caught a glimpse of something… _red?_

"NO… STINKIN'… WAY!"

"_**Cause nobody wants to be the last one there,**_

_**And everyone wants to feel like someone cares…"**_

There, standing in front of them in the cavern, strumming a guitar and smiling bigger and brighter than Don had ever seen him, like he was having the time of his life…

…was their brother Raphael.

"_**Someone to love with my life in their hands**_

_**There's gotta be somebody for me like that…"**_

Raph sang proud and true, the mysterious voice they had been hearing all night coming off his lips like… well, _like it was his voice_!

"_**And nobody wants to do it on their own,**_

_**And everyone wants to know they're not alone…"**_

The three brothers stood dumbfounded at the entrance, their minds not comprehending what their eyes were seeing. Raph was… _Raph was singing!_ Extremely well, in fact. And not only that… but he was the singer they had been hearing all night._ It was him!_ _It had always been him…_

"_**There's somebody else that feels the same somewhere!"**_

Don barely noticed as Raph's song started to come to an end. He had felt his jaw drop in complete and utter disbelief at the sight before him, but after the shock started to leave, questions began to litter his mind.

_Raph was the singer? _

_He had that incredible voice?_

_How long had he been doing this, going out at night and singing where he thought no one could hear him?_

_How could I not have known about this?_

_Where had Raph learned that song? _Shell_, where had he learned how to _sing_?_

_Geez, Raph was the singer…_

"_**There's gotta be somebody for me out there…"**_

Raph's voice quieted as he sang the last line and even after he fell silent he continued to strum on the guitar with expert fingers until the last note echoed across the cavern. When the music finally vanished into the air, Donnie and his brothers watched as Raph tiredly dropped his arms to his sides, the guitar still strapped over his shoulder. Don could see that his elder brother was covered in sweat from the strain on his arms and fingers playing, but there was a satisfied smile on his face; something Donnie had never before seen and never thought he would see.

Raph let out a happy sigh as he flung the guitar off him and carefully laid it on the ground. He then grabbed a water bottle that had been placed beside his feet and gulped a mouthful of the liquid, his shell turned to his brothers. It crossed Donnie's mind that their brother hadn't noticed their presence, this didn't seem like a secret Raph would easily let them share, which is why he was surprised when his brother cleared his throat and addressed them.

"You know you three can't just stand there all night, right?" Raph said with his back still to them. "I mean, wouldn't you guys catch cold, standing there all open-mouthed like that?" He chuckled at his own joke as he turned to face them, his amber eyes shining with a contentment Don would never have imagined on his hotheaded brother's face.

After a few moments of silence, Raph raised an eyebrow at his brothers. "So?" He asked. "Don't keep me hanging. How'd you like it?"

Don tried to will himself to say something, anything, but his tongue suddenly felt like dust and his throat seemed to have closed up of its own accord.

"L-like?" was all he managed.

Raph rolled his eyes. "Yes, Donnie, _like_. How did you guys like the song? It's a new one I wrote last week and I ain't sure how well the chorus goes with the melody, and I'd like your guys' input. Plus I've never played in B flat before. How'd it sound?"

Silence. Leo, Mikey and Don only continued to stare at him.

Raph sighed. "Well, if you three are going to just stand there like idiots, then I'll just go ask April. She liked the last one I wrote and gave me some very helpful feedback. I had hoped you guys might have an opinion, but I can't wait all night for you to decide to comment. Sensei has been waiting for this one."

He started to pack up his gear before Leo finally spoke.

"Sensei?" He said quietly. "You mean Master Splinter knows about this? And April too?"

Raph glanced at him, a confused look on his face. "Of course," He replied. "Splinter and April always listen to what I write. Why wouldn't they know?"

"Well maybe because," Mikey said slowly, hurt evident in his voice. "And here's something really crazy… you might have never _told _them? _Like you've never told us, your brothers! You never told us you could sing!_"

"You never asked." Raphael replied simply. "But it's not that I haven't wanted to," He said quietly. "I really have. But I didn't think you guys would care that much about it. And even if you did, you would all just laugh at me, like Casey did when he found out." He suddenly raised his eyes until they were locked on Donatello's. "Whenever I'm upset or something bad is happening, I come here to play. I know it sounds and looks stupid, but I really enjoy it. The singing thing… well, it helps calm me if that makes any sense. That's why Sensei lets me sneak out sometimes to practice here. I thought if you guys ever found out you would just tease me to no end and never let me do it again."

There was silence again as what he said sank in. Donnie couldn't believe it. He just couldn't. That was what Raph thought? He had this incredible, amazing gift and he thought his brothers would laugh at him for that? Tease him and make him stop? How cruel did he think they were?

But then, if Don really thought about it, if Raph had come to them before and told them he could sing… that _would_ most probably have been the result. Mikey would have giggled and bothered him about it to no end, the occasional prank becoming an embarrassing, hurtful joke every five seconds. Leo would probably have also burst out laughing until his sides hurt at Raph, just the picture of his tough, rude, crude younger brother doing something so… _girly_… being far too much for one turtle to bear. And Don… well, if he was being honest with himself, he would probably have never let Raph live it down. Every snide comment from there on behind his back, every whispered giggle about how the tough guy could sing… it would all be from them and that wouldn't have been very fun for Raph. It would have been horrible of them, mean even. Donnie felt his eyes drop to the floor in shame. What kind of brothers were they when Raph couldn't even have told them about something he loved? A small side-glance at Mikey and Leo, and Don knew they were thinking the same thing.

"Oh Raph," Donnie breathed, tears starting to fill his eyes. "I'm so sorry. If I had known… I never would have… I mean, if I had just heard…" His voice trailed off as the tears continued to fall from his face.

"Me too," Leo said, his own eyes starting to fill with tears. "I can't believe now what I would have done. You should be able to tell us about things like this without worrying about if we'll accept it. I'm sorry."

"Yeah," Mikey agreed quietly, his baby blue eyes reaching Raph's uncertainly. "I'm sorry too, Raphie. I like your singing, I really do. I mean, _like_ is probably an understatement, but… it's really good."

Raph looked into each of their eyes, hope starting to fill his own. "Really?"

"Yes, really!" Leo exclaimed. "Raph, you're absolutely amazing! I've never heard anything like it before. All three of us came out here because we wanted to hear more. You've got to be the best ever, Raph. I mean," The tears started to fall down his face. "You were able to make me feel better."

"Me too!" Mikey chimed in. "I was feeling all depressed before, but when I heard you sing I just couldn't help but feel happy!"

"The truth is," Donnie began, his tear-filled eyes locking on Raph's. "We've all been falling into that darkness lately. The constant Foot battles, our wounds, the worry and stress…" he had to pause to take a shaky breath before continuing. "All that has been hanging over us for weeks now… I think we've all noticed it… and nothing has been able to heal us, to make us a team again." He looked up at Raph, a smile forming on his face. "Nothing… until tonight."

Raph smiled at that. "I do what I can." He said simply, reaching down and picking up his guitar. "And I'm glad you guys liked it. Not my best work, though… it felt a little too edgy… and I have no idea what to call it."

"Oo, oo, I know!" Mikey volunteered. "How about you call it _Diamond in the Rough_, or _Last One There_, or maybe even _Tribute to My Favorite Brother Mikey_…"

Raph laughed. "Thanks for the suggestions, Mike, but I'm gotta pass."

"Oh, come on, Raph!" Mikey begged. "They're genius! How 'bout _Ode to Michelangelo_, or _Raphael's Awesome Song Dedicated to Mikey_, or…"

"I like _Gotta Be Somebody_." Donnie interrupted him.

Raph smiled thoughtfully. "_Gotta Be Somebody_, huh? I like it."

Leo smiled at them both. "I think it's perfect." He said.

"Oh, it's okay, I guess." Mike lamented. "But my titles would have been _so_ much cooler…"

"Whatever you say, little brother." Leo laughed, swinging one arm around Mike's shoulder. "Whatever you say."

Mikey sighed as they started to walk back to the Lair. "Fine, I'll let Donnie name this one, but I get the next song Raph writes."

"Sure Mikey, sure." Raph said, then, as Leo and Mike got out of range, he turned to Donnie and whispered, "Not on his life!"

Don laughed at that. It felt good to laugh, better than it had before. Because now when he laughed he could imagine Raph's incredible voice and every bad thing would go away. The only thing that would make it better would be if…

"Hey, Raph?"

"Yeah, Don?"

"Do you think you'd feel comfortable singing to me tonight? You know, um, before I go to sleep? It's okay if you don't want to, it's kind of childish anyway, but I thought-"

"Sure, Donnie." Raph interrupted, a smile lighting up his face. "I think I'll be able to do that."

Don smiled back and all of a sudden he couldn't wait to get home. Because at home, where his brothers are, is where he'll be able to hear that voice once again and feel its power to heal. He only hoped that he would be able to convince the voice's owner to sing to him every night. Or maybe just once a week…

**The End**


End file.
